On the Housing Choice Voucher Program, the family can pay more or less than 30% of their adjusted gross income, depending on the actual rent of the unit they find. The maximum amount that the Housing Authority will pay is an amount equal to the Payment Standard minus the family’s total tenant payment.

Persons with disabilities may request a reasonable accommodation in order to fully utilize this housing program and any related services. We will make all reasonable efforts to be flexible in assisting persons with disabilities to participate in the program successfully. Requests for accommodation will be verified to ensure that the accommodation is reasonable. Examples of reasonable accommodations are: home visits if your disability prevents you from coming to our office, TDD device, accessible formats for correspondence, the use of an advocate or interpreter for those with Limited English Proficiency, a current listing of rental units known for accessibility to disabled persons that may be available.

Payment Standard

is established by the City of Tempe Housing Services

is based on the cost of housing and utilities for Tempe; and

depends on the family composition and the bedroom size of the unit. For example, the payment standard is higher for families requiring 3-bedroom units than families requiring 1-bedroom units.

The Tempe Housing Services makes a housing assistance payment for the remaining part of the rent directly to the Landlord or Owner. For the Owner, the obligations are very similar also, however there are differences that an Owner needs to be aware of.

Eligibility

Individuals or families whose income does not exceed the maximum annual gross income limits set by HUD are eligible to apply for the Program.

A "family" can be:

a single person who is 62 years of age, disabled according to Social Security definition or handicapped;
any other single person;

a married couple whose head of household, or spouse, is 62 years of age, disabled according to Social Security definition or handicapped;

any two or more persons sharing residency whose income and resources are available to meet the family's needs and who are related by blood, marriage or operation of law (or who have evidence of a stable family relationship, which has existed over a period of at least 2 years.)

The income limits effective 3/6/2015. HUD Regulations require 75% of our new admissions to be at 30% of the median income (Extremely Low).

Families who initially meet both the income and family composition requirements must complete a preliminary application with the Tempe Housing Services. The preliminary application process determines whether the family is initially eligible for the Program according to their family income and composition. Currently, no pre-applications are being accepted.

Regulation requires that 75% of new Section 8 admissions be extremely low-income families. If necessary to meet the statutory requirement that 75% of newly admitted families in any fiscal year be families who are extremely low-income, Tempe Housing Services retains the right to skip higher income families on the waiting list to reach extremely low-income families. Tempe Housing Services will monitor incomes of newly admitted families and income of the families on the waiting list.

Preference Point System

To better serve those persons truly in need of housing in the City of Tempe, HUD and Tempe Housing Services has established a Preference Point System.

The definitions are as follows:

1. INVOLUNTARILY DISPLACED BY FEDERAL OR LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACTION

To qualify for this preference, the applicant is or will be involuntarily displaced if the applicant has vacated or will vacate his/her housing unit as a result of one or more of the following actions:

Activity carried on by an agency of the United States or by any State or local Governmental body or agency in connection with code enforcement; or

a public improvement or development program; or

due to uninhabitability as a result of a natural disaster such as a fire or flood.

Verification of Involuntary Displacement will be verified by Certification from a unit or agency of government that you have been or will be displaced by government action, or due to uninhabitability due to a natural disaster (i.e., fire or flood). PREFERENCE POINTS: 200

2. HOMELESS IN THE CITY OF TEMPE

To qualify for this preference, the applicant must lack a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence; and have primary night time residency that must meet one of the following criteria:

a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations; or

an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized; or

a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings,

a transitional project that is designed to provide housing and appropriate support services to homeless persons to facilitate movement to independent living within 24 months.

Homeless in Tempe: Residency in Tempe prior to becoming homeless will be verified with the shelter and/or transitional living program the individual and/or family is staying. PREFERENCE POINTS: 150

3. RESIDE IN THE CITY OF TEMPE

To qualify for this preference, applicant must meet at least one of the following criteria:

Lessee (tenant); must have a current lease with the legal owner/landlord of the rental property; or
Household member; must be listed on a current lease as legally living in the rental property as a member of the Lessee's household; or

Lessee (tenant); must be legally responsible for rent payments to the legal owner/landlord of the rental property.

Residency will be verified with the legal owner/landlord of the rental property.

OR

4. WORKING, OR HIRED TO WORK, IN THE CITY OF TEMPE

To qualify for this preference, the Head of Household and/or Spouse or Co-Head or Sole Member must meet at least one of the following criteria:

be physically employed in the city limits of Tempe; or

have been notified that they are hired to work in the city limits of Tempe; or

employed in the city limits of Tempe through an internship or other training program designed to prepare individuals for the job market may qualify for this preference.

Employment will be verified with the employer. An applicant shall be given the benefit of the working family preference if the Head of Household and/or Spouse or Co-Head or Sole Member is age 62 or older, or is a person with disabilities and is homeless and/or resides in the City of Tempe.

PREFERENCE POINTS: 100 MAXIMUM POINTS POSSIBLE: 450

Applicants with the highest point total will be offered a Housing Choice Voucher first.

Applicants may claim or change Preference Points at any time from the date of preliminary application until Program participation. To claim Preference Points, you must complete a Preference Certification. When Preference Points are claimed or changed, the family’s name will be moved to the appropriate Preference Point List according to the time and date of preliminary application.

The Section 8 Housing Assistance Program was enacted by the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. The program is funded through and monitored by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The City of Tempe established Tempe Housing Services as a division of the Community Development Department in June of 1975. The City of Tempe Housing Services was authorized to administer the Section 8 Existing Housing Assistance Payments Program within the city limits of Tempe.

Tempe Housing Services began operation in 1975 with funds to assist 50 families under the Section 8 Existing Program. Today, the City of Tempe Housing Services is a division of the Development Services Department and is funded to assist 1082 families.

As a public service agency, it is our goal to provide excellent service to the families in our community. We will make every effort to inform you of the program rules, and to advise you of how these rules affect you. Federal regulations are not always easy to understand, so it is very important that you ask questions if you are not sure of something.